Black Mountain of Maine
| Black Mountain of Maine | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Location | Rumford, Maine, United States |
| Nearest city | Lewiston, Maine |
| Coordinates | 44°34′48″N 70°37′3″W / 44.58000°N 70.61750°W |
| Vertical | 1,380 ft (420 m) |
| Base elevation | 1,000 ft (300 m) |
| Runs | 35 |
| Lift system | 4 (2 chair, 2 surface) |
| Terrain parks | 1 |
| Snowmaking | 90% |
| Night skiing | 6 trails |
| Website | www.skiblackmountain.org |
Black Mountain of Maine is a ski resort in Rumford, Maine which is most famous for its Nordic skiing facilities, and has hosted several national cross-country skiing championships on its 17 km of trails.
The downhill skiing area was expanded in 2005, and has 35 trails (including 5 glades) serviced by two chairlifts, a T-bar, and a rope tow. It also has a terrain park with a half-pipe, and a separate snow tubing area.
In 1924, the Chisholm Ski Club was organized in Oxford, and soon after built a ski jump in town followed by cross country trails and eventually a small ski slope. This early site held statewide cross-country competitions.
In 1950, the cross-country portion of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was held at this early Rumford ski area, after the planned site of Lake Placid, New York did not have enough snow. The competitors were housed with town residents as there were not enough hotel beds available. The following year, the site also held the tryouts for the 1952 Olympic United States Ski Team, and two skiers from Rumford (Chummy Broomhall and Bob Pidacks) made the team.
The ski jumping and downhill slopes had moved to a new area after World War II, but these proved insufficient. In 1962, the Chisholm Ski Club opened all-new facilities at Black Mountain.
The cross-country trails were designed by Rumford native and two-time Olympian Chummy Broomhall, who also designed the cross country trails for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California and the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York. They have since held the 1976 NCAA Cross Country Championships, the 1991 US National Biathlon Championships, the 1993 U.S. Masters Cross Country Championships, the 1996 U.S. Junior Olympics, and the United States Ski and Snowboard Association Cross Country National Championships in 1993, 1999, 2003, and 2004.
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